Knowledge, The New Sexy

Blog Post #4  Research Design Purpose Statement         The purpose of this qualitative study will be twofold to (a) understand what it means to experience “phase of life” transitions while lacking satisfaction with human connection, and (b) discover the tools a therapist needs to support individuals experiencing phase of life transitions while lacking satisfaction with human connection. Richardson (2012) explores the benefits of indigenous cultures that mark and acknowledge life transitions, including sorrowful or difficult life passages. Understanding cultures that highlight transitional moments with ceremony, tradition and ritual may describe and clarify the effects of therapeutic goals. How these goals relate to growth, change and transformation in ways that could aid understanding “phase of life” transition while maintaining satisfaction with human connection will be explored. Central Question       ...

Purpose Statement~ The purpose of this qualitative study will be to discover the factors that influence the tools a therapist needs to aid or benefit individuals experiencing "phase of life" transitions while lacking satisfaction with human connection. Central Question~ What are the tools a therapists needs to support individuals experiencing "phase of life" transitions who lack satisfaction with human connection? Sub-Questions~ 1. What types of therapeutic tools are available to address "phase of life" transitions for those lacking      satisfaction with human connection? 2. What types of "phase of life" transitions are more challenging for therapists to assist? 3. What types of "phase of life" transitions result in lack of satisfaction with human connection? 4. What types of unusual scenarios are presenting as "phase of life" transition in this past decade? * Note: Attention Dr. Reeves, As you know, this is ...

The problem of individuals experiencing 'phase of life' transitions' lacking tools to maintain satisfaction with human connection is grounded in the cognitive-relational theory of stress, originally developed by Richard Lazarus. In 1966 Richard Lazarus primarily used the cognitive-relational theory of stress to study the cycle of appraisal of environmental stress and consequent coping. Appraisal and coping are discussed as the mediating processes that individuals use to seek to reduce stress. This is also known as the Transactional Model, Lazarus Theory (Lazarus, 1966,1991).   This theory framework is appropriate when discussing individuals in transition lacking tools to maintain satisfaction with human connection because it examines the stressors of uncertainty which speaks to transition, sense of deprivation and threat of difficulty or harm. This theory is concerned with personal factors as well as environmental factors and functional and dysfunctional coping which will...

Problem Statement Individuals experiencing 'phase of life' transitions lack tools to maintain satisfaction with human connection. ( I am working on a more specific context for a group of individuals but are not sure just yet who that will be). Statement of Evidence of the Problem August (2011) conducted a longitudinal study identifying and comparing themes of meaning and satisfaction during life transition. This data was used to highlight how contextual changes of family, friends and circumstances effect women a the stage of retirement. Life satisfaction was determined by contextual factors such as sense of accomplishment and loss or relief. In another study, happiness was assessed with a daily diary and a questionnaire. A seven-item scale was used to validate and measure happiness. The research indicated that longing for happiness may actually reduce happiness and therefore, lead to a lessor sense of well-being and ultimately, loneliness (Mauss et al., 2012). Research ...

Blog # 8 Reflections on self-assessment regarding research writing~ Researched Writing Survey         When assigned to write a research paper I am excited about the research and the writing          but I am still nervous about the details of citing and grammar. It seems that the more i write          the better I will become at the details involved. I am confident in my ability to paraphrase. I          enjoy words so using many different words to expound on a topic is fun to me. One of the more          difficult things I have found is finding research that is more recent. Sometimes this can be          frustrating. Rules of Citation Quiz           This area was easier to do this time around because I felt more confident and sure of my           answers. I think the videos we ...

Blog Post #7  Reflections on Self-editing Adherence to the Writing Process for Editing and Redrafting~           I thought that having more people (4) review my paper would give me wider feedback           and that somehow that would make it easier to more accurately share the information. I was           wrong. The information I received was helpful but it has taken some time to organize and           decide how it could best be utilized without losing my original purpose. This helped me             understand that the reader brings his own perspective to the review. I did address the comments           shared with me but some I felt more strongly about than others. Importance or Significance of the Topic~           The topic was not an issue for anyone. One of the readers thought that it...

Activities for Chapter 12~ Ask two friends to read the draft of your literature review and comment on the content. Compare their comments. *Write five questions designed to guide your instructor or your friends in giving you feedback on the    content of your review. Is the topic current and culturally modern? Does the information flow in a systematic, thoughtful order? Is the research from primary sources, recent and valid & reliable? Does the writing guide and lead the reader to a broader understanding? Is the reader challenged or stimulated to grow or change? On which points did your friends agree?        Two of those reviewing stated that the material was well organized and flowed smoothly. Also,        they mentioned separately that they learned information that they were not aware of so we can        assume that their lens was widened. Two of the readers stated that they were trusting that t...

In considering my first draft of my literature review, I am a bit nervous and excited. In comparing my first draft with my topic outline, I have had to make a few changes. Much of it still flows but I had to add a few new research articles and leave out at least one. This does not take away from the path of the argument and in fact, it adds to it. However, it does take a considerable amount of time but I think it is worth it to get a more valid and reliable review. When I am moving to the next category I am using heading changes. With the different heading changes the reader will be able to more easily follow the thought and topic pattern. I am also being mindful of transitional sentences that allow the smooth flow of information or thought into the next paragraph. For me, this part (connecting) is important and can make or break whether or not the reader consistently grasps and builds on the idea or information that is being presented. When I am reading other source material, I ha...

Blog Post #4 Activities for Chapter 5 I choose a quantitative research article for this activity. It researched opiods and social bonding while studying naltrexone and its reduction of feelings of social connection. Some of the characteristics of the report that led me to believe that it is an example of quantitative research were the use of words such as, "statistical analysis", "theory", "hypothesis", and "data".  This study is experimental because data is taken and measured in a laboratory.  The study is experimental and set up as a double-blind study  Experimental. The types of measures used were a scale to rate feelings of social connectedness, a daily diary and statistical analysis. I believe that the researcher provided enough information for me to respect their adequacy for use in this experiment. I also think that double-blind studies are more valid and reliable (if they truly are double-blind). Participants were recruited via f...

Chapter 3 Activities I was excited about this activity although it became much more involved than I expected. I went to four different data bases because my studies and field is broad. With that being said, I have to narrow down my topic and that is not always easy when a great amount of the information seems interesting, if not useful.  Some of the data was from medical data bases and I also used some of the psychology data bases because much of the descriptors interface in these areas. There was more opportunity to find data in the psychology data bases due to the material being exceptionally relevant to the research that I am studying. I was reviewing research from 2010 to the present and sometimes that can be limiting but I did find an array of potential articles to choose from.  A few of the descriptors I used were those concerned with human connection and communication. One site alone made over 14,000 results available. It can become a game when you have to continu...

Blog Post #2   A Novice's Review Literature Review A  A. Have the reviewers clearly identified the topic of the review? Have they indicated its delimitations? (For instance, is it limited to a certain type of individual or certain period of time? Does it deal only with certain aspects of the problem? The reviewers clearly identify the topic and specify the limitations by defining that the topic "among college students" and gender differences were also examined with regard to results. The body outlines more information to clarify different types of bullying, the prevalence rates and touches on coping methods to deal with the problem. The review is substantial but there is more information available on coping methods for cyber-bullying, however the writers may have felt that they have made their point. B. Have the reviewers written a cohesive essay that guides you through the literature from subtopic to subtopic? Explain. The reviewers have written a cohesive e...

Post 1  Self Assessment Researched Writing Survey 1. When you are assigned a research paper in a course, do you welcome it as an opportunity to learn, or do you see it as a burden or an unwelcome task? Most of the time I see writing a research paper as an opportunity to learn about something in a deeper way. There were occasions in a class about policy where I was concerned that the material would be boring. Surprisingly, I found that connecting the information on policy with people and how that challenged quality of life, made a difference in the way I embraced the writing task . 2. How Confident are you in our ability to use supporting material effectively to strengthen your ideas in a paper?   I'm somewhat confident in using supporting material effectively but feel like I still have room to grow in this area. I feel like using supportive sources "expands my lens" which I may view a topic but communicating the ideas and connecting them throughout the paper may be...